Follow a new team from inception through the early years of competition BBQ cooking

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

New Holland Summer Fest 8/27-8/28 2010

Time sure flies when you’re having fun, and one thing is for sure, we like our fun.

The calendar says that it’s the end of August and time once again for one of our favorite contests of the season, the New Holland Summer Fest. Wow, where did summer go. It seems like just last week we headed south for the season opener in Salisbury MD, Pork in the Park. While this is not our last event for the year, it certainly is a reminder that the cool nights and shorter days of fall are just around the corner.

This year, as we have done in the past, the team traveled up to New Holland PA on Thursday evening slipped into our space and got set up before dark. We took along a few dozen live blue crabs, some fresh picked sweet corn and red ripe tomatoes. Talk about a meal, steamed crabs, buttered corn on the cob, sliced Maryland tomatoes and ice cold beer. It don’t git no better then this! It was a tremendous fest and a great way to mark the waning days of summer.

Being set up at a contest site when you get out of bed on Friday morning sure is the way to go. Much less rushing around, able to relax, enjoy the day, visit a bit, it just makes for a much more enjoyable contest experience. It is easy to see why several teams make it their SOP to arrive on site on Thursday evening. Not to mention the fact that early bird teams get an additional night to play before the real business of contest cooking begins on Friday night. And play we did, nuff said.

Last year the weather gods did very little for the fine folks that run the Summer Fest but they made up for it this year as beautiful skies and very comfortable temperatures were the rule of the day. It was great weather for sleeping outside; even cool enough to zip up the sleeping bag as there was a bit of chill in the night air. The best part though, was that it was dry.

The prep work and trimming went off without a hitch, things were going along very smooth, almost too smooth. I should have found it a little suspicious as the appointed hour for the cooks meeting crept closer and closer. Usually, I can persuade a team member to volunteer to attend to represent the team but this evening, no one stepped forward, in fact, they were as a group being fairly elusive. Being all caught up with my prep work due to our early arrival, I reluctantly trudged off to attend as our team representative without giving a second thought as to the source of their reluctance. I had a slight feeling that something was afoot, but could not isolate it, and quickly dismissed the thought as my pea sized brain switched into contest mode and was thinking about the times and tasks that laid ahead.

Twenty seven years as a law enforcement officer you think I would have learned to always follow my gut instinct, especially when you have a gut the size of mine, that’s a lot of instinct! As I ambled back from the meeting with my goodie bag in hand I rounded the corner at our site and was met with a very humorous sight. There stood each and every member of my team all sporting straw skyzoo’s with tropical headbands identical to the one that I have taken to wearing at contests. Too funny.

Regular readers will know that I began wearing my current contest headpiece a little over a year ago. The hat has become the target of some minor ridicule and scoffing from many members of the team. The result of which has prompted me to make the hat required headgear for each and every contest that we cook. I even had a cook on another team tell me at Bel Air as I was wearing old faithful, “Man, you need a new look”. I attribute the comment to too much alcohol consumption on his part, (it was rather late Friday night), and the fact that the lighting wasn’t what it should have been. Or it could have been too much alcohol consumption on my part, either way.

While at various contests my hat has been stolen, filled with things, and clamped to the top center strut of our canopy. It has been hidden from my view, screwed to the interior wall of the trailer, held for ransom, and a few other things too gruesome or obscene to mention considering this is a family show. I have a good idea that a person or persons on my team have been responsible. That’s right; I have determined it is an inside job, possibly a group effort. I didn’t do 27 years in law enforcement for nothing, just call me Inspector Clouseau.

Upon closer inspection, the headbands for the guys had been inscribed with the words, “we were those guys” a reference to the team name they plan to take when they secede from out current arrangement. The headband on Jo’s hat, yes, she had on too, said, “I am stuck with that guy.” Poor Jo, what a riot.

From the best information I could piece together during the subsequent investigation that ensued, the scheme was hatched by Bobby who then enlisted his wife into the caper for assistance. I am sure it was a group effort to some degree, but either way, it sure was a good one. I just wish there had been someone on site to snap a picture of my expression when I rounded that corner, I am sure it would have been a winner.

We cooked a pretty good contest, 72 teams, and we finished 7th overall. We received 3calls to the stage, 10th place ribs, (good job Bobby), 10th place chicken, and 6th place chefs choice, (which was cooked again this year by Jo, well done) We have been fairly solid all year either in or just outside the top 10 at every event, not bad for a couple of part timers, especially part timers sporting matching straw hats. One thing is for certain, we sure have a lot of fun!

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Startin the Fire

Information and disclaimer

Thanks for stopping by to view our blog. We hope you enjoy the story and find this tale humorous and informative. Be sure to start in the archives with part one, "the begining", as this is where the saga begins. Stop back in from time to time, this is a work in progress. Thanks again for visiting.

We encourge you to leave your comments. To do so, just click on the comments link located at the end of each part. It is possible to remain anonymous when leaving comments here if you like. We promise no retribution for any comments made, positive or negative, well, maybe the negative ones.......

DISCLAIMER:The story you are about to read is true, the names were changed to protect the innocent. Any similarity to any real person or event, living, dead, future or past is purely coincidental. If we have offended anyone in the writing of this blog, we sincerely apologize in advance. If we have not offended you yet, please forgive us, we will try to get you in the next posting, after all we are only human. No animal was harmed unnecessarily in the writing of this blogor in the creation of this BBQ team. The chicken and pig depicted on our banner are professionals and were only acting, they were not harmed in any way. The chicken is actually from Street Maryland and the pig knows dam well who we are. (see a full size banner on the first page of our web site)

August 14-15 2009Bel Air BBQ BashBel Air, MD52 teams9th place chicken15th place pork ribs15th place pork13th brisket7th place overall

August 28-29 2009New Holland Summer FestNew Holland, PA72 teams1st place chicken67th place ribs51st place pork20th place brisket3rd sausage18th place chefs choice31st place overall

October 2-3 2009Keystone BBQ ClassicHarrisburg PA20 teams5th place chicken2nd place ribs2nd place pork3rd place brisket5th place seltzers bologna1st place overall- Grand ChampionsOctober 16-17 2009Diamond State BBQDover , DL81 teams44th place chicken14th place pork ribs22nd place pork14th place brisket16th place overall

Dover 2007

After the "big blow"

More damage, this really blows

Mike says "why did'nt anybody tell me it was gonna get windy?"

A dumpster full of canopies

Dover 2007

George "the BBQ nazi" Hensler

Landover 2007

Al "ole fool" Smith

Landover 2007

Bob "the runner" Zengel

Landover 2007

Erich "the lettuceman" Schmitt

Landover 2007

about me

Someone asked me when my interest in cooking began. As I think back and ponder the question, I think I can attribute much of my early interest in my time spent with the Boy Scouts. The troop that I was a member of was a very loose run operation. The leaders let the scouts handle much of the planning for our weekend camping excursions. Individual patrols, lead by a patrol leader, (an older scout), would be in charge of planning the menu and assuring that the groceries were purchased for the trip. As you can imagine, there was many meals of hot dogs, cold cereal and Dinty Moore beef stew. If the patrol did not plan a meal or forgot to go to the store, they usually went hungry. In todays politically correct and litigation crazy world that we live in, our troop could not exist. If you ask me, that is a shame, because it was a great climate for which to learn. Believe me, you did not forget a meal very often, if you did, you took what you had and made something. Today, the parents would complain to Boy Scout Headquarters and probably sue. The troop leaders would be charged with child abuse for letting a child go hungry, it would be on the evening news. A shame.

I recall having a can of Dinty Moore for the umpteenth meal and looking over at the Senior Patrol. This was the group of the most senior scouts in the troop. They would be dining on hamburgers, corn on the cob, and campfire baked apples. I said right then, there must be a better way, and my interest in cooking was born. I think this experience also helped with my organizational skills. When the time arrived that I became a patrol leader, I plotted out menus and made sure the items were purchased so that we would not end up eating from a can. It was a great learning experience.

My mother and Grandmother were very good cooks and the time that I spent with them in the family kitchen was another influence on my culinary interests. I remember after I moved into my own place calling my mother at least once a week to ask how to prepare a meal.

Much of my recent interest in cooking and BBQ is chronicled in the pages of my blog. I am a beginning BBQ cook and do not profess to be an expert. I am new to the KCBS circuit and am only telling the story of my limited experience on the BBQ trail. I have cooked and eaten a lot of good and bad food over the years, and believe me, I can still screw up a meal with the best of them. I am like the character in the Rodney Dangerfield movie “Easy Money”, just a regular guy.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fScy9BgPEsA regular guy that likes to cook, unfortunately for my waistline, I also like to eat.